Northamptonshire are on the brink as Glamorgan hold the upper hand

Glamorgan are favourably placed to win their second LV= County Championship game of the season with Northamptonshire, following on, trailing by 51 runs with six second innings wickets in hand.
Rob NewtonRob Newton
Rob Newton

The Welshmen’s charge was held up by a third wicket-pair of Rob Newton and Rob Keogh, with Newton ready to resume tomorrow on 89 not out, an innings which has included 14 boundaries.

After the morning’s play had been washed out it meant 116 overs have now been lost during the first three days.

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The County then lost their last five wickets for 78 runs and were all out 65 short of the follow on.

Josh Cobb and Adam Rossington steered their team away from complete disaster with a partnership of 91 for the sixth wicket in 22.1 overs, with both batsmen scoring half centuries.

Rossington was unfortunate to be dismissed when a straight drive from Cobb was deflected by the bowler Ruaidhri Smith on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end, while Cobb was lbw to Andrew Salter.

The young off-spinner cleaned up the tail to finish with career best figures of 4-2-5-3, while Craig Meschede also recorded his best in Championship cricket.

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Apart from the sixth wicket pair, it was a sub-standard batting performance from the visitors on a good pitch which encouraged positive stroke play.

With a lead of 214, Jacques Rudolph had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on, and with the first ball of the innings Graham Wagg produced a lifter that Stephen Peters edged to Mark Wallace.

When the same bowler induced Kyle Coetzer to play on, Northants were 15 for 2, but any thoughts Glamorgan might have had of forcing a three day win were dispelled by the third wicket pair.

Newton was the most aggressive of the two, and was particularly severe on Smith whom he struck for three successive boundaries in one over.

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Newton reached his 50 from 92 balls with seven sweetly timed boundaries, mostly through the offside, but after they had put on 107, Keogh struck the ball to mid on and had no chance beating Michael Hogan’s direct hit.

Seven runs later, Northants lost their fourth wicket when Colin Ingram, bowling his legbreaks for the first time in Championship cricket dismissed Cobb who skied to mid on.